Exquisite Death: Dark, Friends to Lovers Romance (The Gilded Sovereign Book 3)

Chapter 1

Four weeks ago

The momentI roll over and try to open my eyes, a thumping pain shoots through my skull.

Warmth sears my left-hand side, and finally managing to crack a lid, I see a naked woman sleeping beside me. She’s draped in a sheet, but it only covers her ass. Her back is smooth and tanned, and her long blonde hair is fanned across the pillow as she softly snores. I don’t know her name. She’s a stranger to me, and I want her gone.

This utter bullshit of partying non-stop needs to come to a halt. But each night, as I recall what happened in Tynewood, the guilt hits me worse than the day before. If it wasn’t for my family, life would be far less complicated. We can’t choose our bloodline, but fuck, it would make things a lot less stressful if we could.

When I left Tynewood, I needed a break from the town I grew up in, but I know it won’t be too long before I’m back there again. The one thing I do miss is spending time with the rest of the Crowns—my best friends, Ares and Etienne, and even Philipe.

Opening my eyes fully, I push off the bed and immediately stumble into the bedside cabinet, knocking a glass onto the floor. Red wine splatters over my feet, and I know the stain won’t be coming out of the soft pile carpet anytime soon.

“Shit!” I hiss.

Picking the now empty glass up, I set it back on the nightstand and stagger into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me.

After I’ve taken a leak, I shove my dick into my boxers. Everything hurts, and when I look in the mirror and see the state I’m in, I’m thankful I’m still alive, barely. Opening the faucet, I splash cold water on my face, hoping to wash away the hangover I know is about to hit. But nothing can stop the tequila-induced headache that’s slowly beginning to throb behind my eyes.

When I head back into the bedroom, the girl that was in my bed has gone, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

A couple of seconds later, the bedroom door opens, and I’m met with the hazel glare of my travel companion, Grecia Birchwood. She’s not wearing her glasses, which means she’s got her contacts in, and they’re making her eyes glimmer even brighter than usual.

“What?” I croak. My throat feels like the goddamned Gobi Desert.

Grabbing the bottle of water that Grecia’s holding in her hand, I twist off the cap and swig down a mouthful of the cool liquid.

“Do you have to have girls running out here crying every damn morning, Tarian?”

Her perfectly arched brow lifts as she regards me. It’s clear she’s not in a good mood this morning.

It’s been a few weeks since Grecia arrived here. Not long after I left Tynewood, she turned up on the beach near my apartment in Capri, looking for me. She’s beautiful and very tempting, but we haven’t fucked yet. I say yet because I can’t deny she’s hard to resist, but so far, we’ve kept it friendly. Well, sort of, if you can call the tension between us friendly.

“Are you on your period or something?” I bite out, turning to my closet and grabbing a pair of sweats. I shove my boxers off, and glancing over my shoulder, I watch her hazel gaze lock on my ass. I can’t help but chuckle. “Enjoying the view?”

“You’re a dick, Tarian. We have work to do,” she tells me, but I can see her cheeks turning bright red as she spins on her heel with a huff and leaves me to pull on my sweats.

Without bothering to put on a T-shirt, I follow her out the door and down the hallway. Her long chestnut hair hangs in tight curls down her back, and I smile at the way her hips sway when she stalks in front of me. She’s a curvy little firecracker, and I am so tempted to set her off, but I know the moment we take that step, it will change our dynamic. And I’m not sure I’m ready for that.

I know Grecia wants me, but there’s no way in hell I’d rope her into this fucked up life of mine. So instead of allowing her to fall into my bed, I keep pushing her away. Our relationship is strictly platonic, and that’s the way it needs to stay. By focusing on work, we’re managing to keep things amicable between us.

“What’s going on?” I ask, moments later, as I slip into the kitchen chair opposite her.

Grabbing one of the cups sitting on the table between us, I fill it with the freshly made java from the French Press. The scent of mocha assaults my senses as I take a long sip.

“I’ve found a hit on Thane, but there’s a problem,” she tells me as her eyes scan the screen in front of her. “He’s gone underground. One of Heinrich’s men has confirmed your uncle is off the radar, but hopefully, we can pick up a cell phone signal and locate him next time he communicates with someone.”

Heinrich is one of the Crowns who will soon be stepping down to allow the next generation to take over control of the society. He was meant to become an Elder, but he refused the seat when it was offered to him. He prefers working for the Sovereign out in the field.

“My guess is Thane will try contacting Abner,” I tell her before gulping down another mouthful of the strong black coffee. “The bastard might be behind bars, but he can still talk to his associates on the outside.”

It bothers me that, even though Abner Lancaster is in prison, he’s still alive. I would much rather he was dead. But it wasn’t my call to make. It was Ares who had the final say, and he chose to let his father live.

I look at Grecia, who’s watching me intently.

“I agree.” She nods. Then smiling, she turns the laptop toward me. “There’s been someone dialing the prison to speak to Abner every day at midday.”

I scan the cell number and think I know who it belongs to, but I decide not to tell Grecia until I can confirm my suspicions. Instead, I open the tracking app on my laptop, insert the digits, and then hit Enter.

The app will allow us to see any messages that have been sent to or from the cell phone. I watch as the percentage of transferred data increases. With every second that passes, I can feel Grecia’s gaze on me, and it’s hot. But I know there’s suspicion in her eyes.

Once all the messages are transferred, I open the first one, which I can see is addressed to my uncle. There’s nothing of importance in the communication, other than to inform him that the sender has made contact with Abner.

I knew I recognized the number as soon as I saw it, and when I finally meet Grecia’s questioning gaze, I admit, “Hilary Durand may have left Tynewood, but she’s not given up on winning back her son.”

“Etienne doesn’t want her in his life. He told her?—”

“One thing you have to learn about our parents, Grecia, is that they’re not the kind of people who like to be told what to do. Unless it’s Abner giving the orders, of course.”

“So, you’re telling me that Hilary intends to return to Tynewood?”

I’ve no doubt Etienne’s mother will eventually go back home, but I have a feeling she might need my uncle’s permission first. Hilary Durand has some skeletons in her closet, and I’m pretty sure Thane knows them all. He’s probably holding something over her. It’s how he likes to operate.

“Thane is planning something,” I tell Grecia as I meet her gaze. “And I have to find him before he carries out whatever the fuck it is. My intuition tells me it’s not going to be good.”

Grecia nods, and pulling the laptop toward her, she scans the rest of the messages while I grab a refill of coffee. I take a moment to observe her. I watch as she draws her bottom lip into her mouth and locks it between her teeth while she focuses on the screen. Then she sighs, and her lips pout, full and pink, and I imagine them wrapped around my dick. My blood turns hot as it races through my veins. It’s a sensation I’ve been fighting for months whenever she’s close.

I’ve known Grecia for most of my life, but the physical response I have to her now started when we first went to college. Whenever we were in the same room, I’d find myself staring at her until Ares or Etienne would shove me and ask if I wanted to have a go at the Birchwood beauty. I would always deny any interest and tell them they were full of shit, but deep down, I knew I was burying the burning need that sprang up each time she was near me.

As the daughter of one Crown and the stepdaughter of another, I know Grecia’s life hasn’t been easy. Greg Birchwood is nothing short of an army sergeant in the way he rules his household, and Leonard Harding, her stepfather, is an asshole of note.

When Greg left, Leonard swooped in and made a play for the beautiful Geraldine Birchwood. Even I can admit Grecia’s mother is stunning. After she married Leonard, though, that’s when all the shit started. Kelli, Leonard’s biological daughter, has never got along with Grecia, and whenever they’re in the same room, they’re at each other’s throats.

Grecia glances up and catches me staring at her.

“What?” she asks as she sits back and folds her arms across her chest, revealing more of her cleavage and intensifying my desire.

I’m sure she loves taunting me. When we were back in Tynewood, it was easy to walk away and forget she existed. But now she’s here all the time, within my grasp, and it’s getting more and more difficult to ignore her.

Shrugging, I slowly sip my coffee.

“Nothing,” I eventually respond as I stand up and make my way to the door that leads to the balcony.

Stepping outside, I focus on the sun rising above the distant horizon. My headache is easing, thankfully. The early morning sky is a strange mix of colors, graduating from the dark blue of night to a deep orange that’s illuminating the world.

As I stare at the sea, the water shimmers, blue and clear, reminding me of my mother eyes. When I was growing up, everyone told me how much I looked like her. Now all I want to do is forget the resemblance exists.

The pain of learning my mother had died was excruciating for me as a young boy, but the agony of seeing her alive again, almost ten years later, was far worse. She faked her own death so she could be with my father’s brother, a man I hate. A man who was meant to be my guardian but left me to fend for myself.

I can’t begin to comprehend why she did it, but I wish she’d never come back. If she’d died in that car accident, I wouldn’t have to deal with this pain in my chest every time I think about her living, breathing, and loving Thane.

It turns out my uncle is even more ruthless than Abner, and he’s convinced the world owes him everything.

A cold shudder races through me at the thought of Thane being named a Crown and having to sit at the table with him. I know it’s what he wants. The rules have changed since we took our seats as Crowns of the Gilded Sovereign, but Ares, Etienne, Philipe, and I will never willingly give Thane that honor.

I’m nowhere near as fucked up as my uncle, but the fear I could one day turn into a tyrant like him is one of the reasons I’m wary of taking an active role in the secret society.

I still don’t know the full story, but without getting his hands dirty, my uncle managed to ensure I was left parentless, or so I thought until my mother reappeared, alive and well.

My uncle returned to Tynewood, expecting there would be a place for him in the Sovereign, but he hadn’t banked on me taking my rightful seat at the table. I know he wants what I have. He wants a Crown, but he fucked that up when he got rid of my father. He should’ve killed me, instead.

When I finally track my uncle down, I’m going to make sure he gives me every single bit of information I need, and after he does, I’m going to make sure he pays for what he did to my father.

As a Crown, I know if I need help, I can call on Etienne and Ares, even Philipe. But as much as I want to be with my brothers, I can’t. Not until I finish what Thane’s started. This is something I have to do on my own.

Glancing over my shoulder, I find Grecia watching me, and I’m reminded I’m not completely alone.

I left Tynewood because I needed space, but when Grecia followed me out here, she gave me something I wasn’t expecting—solace. I may not have taken the next step and slept with her, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist her for much longer.

Every time my gaze locks with hers, a magnetic spark passes between us, and I can’t stop the filthy thoughts that run through my mind. But there’s a line I’m trying not to cross with her, so instead, I lose myself in the company of other women, night after night.

Now I’m getting closer to finding Thane, I’m torn between sending Grecia home, which would be the right thing to do, or keeping her here with me, which would be the wrong thing to do but also the thing I want the most.

The truth is I’m an asshole. I come from a long line of assholes. Doing what’s right isn’t in my nature, and this time’s no different. I’m a selfish bastard and crave Grecia’s company. I know I’ll end up breaking her, just as life has torn me apart. But even with that knowledge, there’s no way I’m letting her go.